30 August 2013

Still looking for ways to use up all the zucchini from your garden? Here's a great recipe for you. This is perfect for a busy weeknight because it's fairly quick and cooks all in one pan. Only one pan to clean! I love those recipes. The other thing I love about this recipe is that it contains twice as much zucchini as sausage, but my family didn't even notice. Not only is it a great way to stretch out your food budget (feeding a family of 4 on half a pound of sausage), but it's healthier too. I've been doing a meatless meal about once a week for a long time now, but I have also recently started trying to reduce the amount of meat in our other meals too. Don't worry; I'm not leaning towards becoming vegetarian. I just think it's a good idea to try to incorporate more veggies and less meat at each meal. And like I said, so far my family hasn't noticed one bit. This recipe is slightly adapted from one I found at Better Homes and Gardens.

I know some of you are put off by the fact that it uses cream of something soup. I don't use it very often, but I do keep a can of it in my pantry for "emergency" dinner situations. It makes this recipe perfect for busy weeknights. You can always make your own sauce with a simple roux and some chicken or beef broth. The original recipe called for half cream soup and half sour cream, but I omitted the sour cream because my youngest is allergic to dairy. The cream soup often contains some dairy also, but it's usually a small enough amount that it doesn't bother her too much (she's three and her allergy is starting to get better).

You might find this a little heavy on the stuffing topping. It can easily be cut in half, but I used the whole package because my kids love that stuff.

If you are not sure your skillet is broiler-safe, one thing I would recommend doing is to wrap the handle in foil. Usually it's the handle that is the least heat-safe. That also helps to remind you that the handle is really hot after you take it out of the oven. I've had major problems with that in the past!